Microsoft kills off Kin line of social phones

At the D8 conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer questioned Google’s dual strategy of building Android and Chrome OS. Two operating systems doesn’t make sense, he said.

Microsoft is apparently listening to Ballmer’s advice, killing off its two-month old Kin line of social networking phones. The company confirmed to CNET today that it is not going forward with a European launch of Kin and is instead folding the Kin team into its Windows Phone 7 unit.

The phones, Kin One and Two, were developed as more social phones able to connect users to their friends and allow them to easily broadcast their lives. But the devices sold through Verizon Wireless were criticized early for lacking some features and for its data plans, which were priced the same as other more full-featured smart phones.

Verizon over the weekend slashed prices on the Kin One and Two, even as commercials continued to run on the new devices. Microsoft said it will continue to sell current Kin phones with Verizon.

The move to kill Kin helps Microsoft focus its efforts on Windows Phone 7, which apparently is launching in October. Not only will it help reduce some distractions, it will give Win Phone 7 engineers a better chance to incorporate some of the best features in the Kin operating system.

I personally thought the phone was decent and had some interesting ideas like the Kin Studio, which backed up your mobile activities to a website. But considering how powerful and flexible operating systems like iOS, Android and Palm’s webOS are, it makes sense for Microsoft to streamline its mobile development work around one very robust platform.

It just makes for more even anticipation for Windows Phone 7. Microsoft has got a lot to prove and killing off Kin just means even more rests on Windows Phone 7 getting off to a successful launch.